Nate Quarry: If you got into fighting to be rich, you chose wrong

I find it interesting that the comparison is always made between basketball players and football players saying that they aren't allowed to pepper their jerseys with logos.
A pro football player plays where? The NFL.

A pro basketball player in the USA plays where? The NBA.

Where do pro fighters fight at? Any league that will have them as they strive to make it to the big show. Many pros fight for $500. Even once in one of the big shows, the money earned is not a living wage. Many have to work weekends bouncing and bartending.

Now what is the minimum wage for an NBA or NFL player? The rookie minimum wage in the NBA last season was over $473,000.

Do they need the Gun Store logo on their shorts. Probably not. And let's look at their expenses. They have an agent. To my knowledge, that's about it unless they choose to have other trainers at their own cost.

An MMA fighter has an agent that he pays, a team he fights for that he trains at, that he pays, if he's good and has the money he has a muay thai coach, a Jits coach, a strength and conditioning coach, a diet coach and someone to help him cut weight.
And if he just made it to the big shows he MAY make 30k for the year. Minus 20% for management and training at least then a third for taxes and you're sitting at about 16k to live on for the entire year.
Sponsors have always been a huge source of income for fighters. I can't tell you how many times a sponsor showed up at just the right time and gave me food money. Literally.

When I fought Pete Sell the second time I was sponsored by Toyo tires. For two fights I had their logo on my shorts. For what? A set of tires. That would be about $800. $400 for two fights on primetime that have been shown over and over. Why did I do it? Because I was driving around on my spare and one other tire was filled with fix a flat. The belts were showing on the other tires.

You want to see the best a fighter can be? Buy his gear. Support the brands that sponsor him and send the companies emails letting them know you're buying their protein because they're sponsoring someone.

What's that you say? If you don't like it then quit? I do like it. In fact, I love it. That's why I lived in my buddies basement 2 nights a week to save on gas money. And I rode with other friends to practice to save on gas money. And I packed a lunch to practice. And I only wore clothes sponsors and other more successful fighters would give me. And I'd do it all over again.

If you got into fighting to be rich, you chose the wrong sport. Do it for the love and if you get rich that's a nice bonus.

Well I'll be damned.I wasn't expecting my post to generate this much of a response.Let me be clear that I wasn't necessarily speaking out against the gun ban. I was speaking more about sponsors in general. Obviously Fox and the UFC have a plan that they're going to implement to grow their brands. We as fighters have to grow and adapt to these plans as they're being implemented. As a fighter or as an employee of a company, we all want a raise. An extra vacation day. But the company we all work for needs to earn profits so they can continue to employ us all. This may sound like ass kissing now but... before TUF1 there were 5 PPVs a year. There was virtually no chance for someone like me to make it. In fact, right before TUF I was fading out of the NHB scene. I couldn't build a future on what I was making in the tiny pro shows. Then I sign with the UFC and at first it's just enough with sponsors to really focus on training and take my shot. Then all of the sudden it's enough, if you're smart with your money, to change your life. I've always been vocal with my opinions on business and such and last year I got the chance to really thank Dana in person. I thanked him for continuing to push to make our sport better and better. To give guys like me a chance to live our dreams. And yeah, if you started fighting to get rich, go home. Join a band. Take a crap at professional bowling. The hours are better, it's less painful and you can drink while you compete. But if you love to fight... if it fills some desire you have in you that nothing else will... then take your shot. If you happen to make some money while you're doing it then man, you're pretty damn lucky. Just like me.

Well I'll be damned.I wasn't expecting my post to generate this much of a response.Let me be clear that I wasn't necessarily speaking out against the gun ban. I was speaking more about sponsors in general. Obviously Fox and the UFC have a plan that they're going to implement to grow their brands. We as fighters have to grow and adapt to these plans as they're being implemented. As a fighter or as an employee of a company, we all want a raise. An extra vacation day. But the company we all work for needs to earn profits so they can continue to employ us all. This may sound like ass kissing now but... before TUF1 there were 5 PPVs a year. There was virtually no chance for someone like me to make it. In fact, right before TUF I was fading out of the NHB scene. I couldn't build a future on what I was making in the tiny pro shows. Then I sign with the UFC and at first it's just enough with sponsors to really focus on training and take my shot. Then all of the sudden it's enough, if you're smart with your money, to change your life. I've always been vocal with my opinions on business and such and last year I got the chance to really thank Dana in person. I thanked him for continuing to push to make our sport better and better. To give guys like me a chance to live our dreams. And yeah, if you started fighting to get rich, go home. Join a band. Take a crap at professional bowling. The hours are better, it's less painful and you can drink while you compete. But if you love to fight... if it fills some desire you have in you that nothing else will... then take your shot. If you happen to make some money while you're doing it then man, you're pretty damn lucky. Just like me.

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